"So you're telling me that Edward Johnson is connected to the Mexican Cartel", Abbott asked. He looked only vaguely startled, probably not that surprised that Jane had discovered the man involved in some major crime.

"Yes. I don't know which one at this point, but I'm hoping Cho can find out for me."

"I see. And so I presume you're planning to take this information to the judge and get him to throw out Johnson's custody petition?"

Teresa looked down at that and Jane looked a bit sheepish. "Not exactly. It's not just the custody case", he said. "Uh – he thinks that Danny, Lily's father, hid some of the Cartel's money and I'm afraid he's going to keep coming after her – or me – until he has it so I – we", he glanced over at Lisbon, "have to stop him."

Abbott frowned and looked between his agent and the consultant. "And how do you propose to do that? This is a Cartel we're talking about here. "

"I know. I don't plan to do anything to him – at least not directly." He got a mischievous grin on his face. "I just want him to get what he deserves."

"You know you're playing a dangerous game here, don't you? The Cartels aren't particularly forgiving of anyone that gets in their way. You don't want them after you."

"We know Sir", Teresa interjected. "We're going to be very careful. We think the best way to get rid of him is to expose what he's doing." She stopped for a moment and glanced over at Jane. "We have to find some way of stopping him Sir. We think he had Danny and Emma killed", Teresa said quietly.

"Really?" Abbott looked between the two of them. "What proof do you have?"

"Nothing, that's the problem", Jane answered. "But I know he was responsible. I need to get him away from Lily, permanently."

Abbott slowly let his head fall back. "Well, if he's laundering money for the Cartels then the FBI needs to be involved. Have Cho to find out what he can."

"Thanks Dennis", Jane dipped his head in acknowledgement of the other man's offer.

"And Jane?" Abbott considered him carefully.

"Yes?" The consultant stopped on his way out the door and turned back to the boss.

"We'll support you in this, but no surprises, okay? I need to know what's going on."

Jane looked at him seriously for a minute and then nodded. "No surprises," he agreed. He missed Lisbon's look of surprise.

Jane knew it would take time for Lisbon to trust him completely. Oh, he knew she already trusted that he loved her and he'd do everything to look after her. But she didn't trust that he'd stop being secretive and manipulative. Well, she was right, but only insofar as criminals were concerned. He'd made a promise to himself that he had to start being honest with her. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but if they had any chance together, he had to do it.

The way it stood now, Lisbon was too used to him hiding things, pulling things at the last minute, or lying and deceiving people to close a case. His first instinct was always to keep things close to his chest, even with his teammates, even with her. He'd been well trained at his daddy's knee to never trust anyone, to hide and dissemble and lie but he knew that had to change. It was going to be hard to let go of the role he'd grown accustomed to playing with her, but he had to believe he could do it or there was no point in even starting this relationship.

He felt a moment's fear at the task he'd set himself, but then he remembered his wife. For once the thought didn't bring him pain, but rather comfort. Because he remembered that with her he'd been honest. She'd demanded it from him from the very beginning of their life together. He'd had to relearn how to act with her but he'd done it and they'd had a good life together. So, he would have to relearn it for Teresa.

It wasn't going to be easy, that he knew. It was hard to open up and it left him vulnerable, something he'd avoided for as long as he could remember.

And the truth was – a truth he didn't want to face – he was terrified. He was terrified that if he was honest, if he let people see the truth, the real him, they'd turn away in disgust.

"Jane?" Teresa's soft voice interrupted his thoughts and he took a sudden deep breath and blinked. He realized he'd zoned out for a few minutes.

"What?" he faced her and smiled.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing", he attempted to smile, to make light of it, but her expression didn't change. She knew he was hiding behind his usual façade and her eyes continued to track his face, a small frown of worry etched between her brows. It dawned on him suddenly, that if he wanted to be sure to lose her it was to continue to hide from her, to pretend he was fine when he wasn't. He'd done it for so many years it was second nature to him now – but that too had to stop. He felt a momentary jolt of fear but closed his eyes and took a breath. "I'm - worried", he told her.

"It'll be okay", she said, trying to reassure him. "You'll come up with a good plan and we'll catch Johnson and that will be the end of it."

"Maybe", he shrugged. He suddenly wanted to tell her that that wasn't the reason he was so worried. But then he glanced around, realizing that this was neither the time nor place to have this discussion. "But you're right. We'll figure something out, we always do", he told her confidently.

"Well, you always do" she told him. "But you will -"

"What?" he asked quizzically. "Tell you what I'm planning?" he asked softly, again recognizing her doubts. She frowned and he reached out to her, but then dropped his hand. "Yes, I will, I promise." He tried to let her know he was serious, that he was being totally honest with her. He wasn't sure he'd succeeded when she stared at him as quite a few seconds ticked by. Finally she nodded her head and he breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to trust him. He really wished they weren't at work right now because he had an irresistible urge to lean over and kiss her.

Instead he walked beside her, looking and acting the same way they had done for years as they made their way to Cho's desk.

"Did you find anything?" Jane asked the calm looking agent.

"I checked with the local DEA office in Laredo Texas", Cho told him, swinging around in his chair. "They were able to give me some useful information."

"What did you find?"

"That the Cartel responsible for most of the drug trafficking and smuggling in their area is the Chacal Cartel. Their leader is a Juan Maria Belen. They've grown more powerful over the last two years and there's been increased activity across the border. Velasquez, the DEA agent asked me what I knew – they're anxious to make some arrests."

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing." Cho answered and that was it as far as the DEA was concerned. "I've asked Wylie to do some research on Belen's known associates and lieutenants."

"Did you find anything Wylie?" Jane called over to the young computer geek.

"Yes", Wylie grinned. "I managed to get a hold of surveillance photos taken by the DEA last year and they sent over some of their information. They really want an arrest", he told them, looking excited. "I've been able to identify three of Belen's people. Here." He turned his screen so that everyone could see. He pressed a key and the picture of a middle-aged, dark haired man came up. In the picture he was handing something to another person, although you couldn't see the other man's face as it was covered by a ball cap pulled low over his forehead. "This man is Jaime Cuevas. He is close to Belen – they grew up together – and it's reported that he is Belen's right hand man."

"And the other guy?"

Wylie shrugged. "There was no ID on him."

"Okay, so who's next?" Jane was leaning on the table, Teresa beside him with Cho looking over his shoulder. Wylie pressed another key and a second picture appeared.

"This is Pedro Ochoa. His father was also a friend of Belen, but he was killed last year. It was rumored that it was a hit carried out by the Zeta Cartel, although that was never proved. Juan took Pedro in and treats him like a favorite nephew."

"And the third man?" Jane wanted to know.

Again Wylie grinned. "The third man is Raul Santos." Another picture appeared, this time of a handsome man in his early thirties. He was well-dressed, sporting what looked like an expensive suit and shoes. He had a smile on his face and was leaning nonchalantly against a car – a silver Ferrari."

"Looks rich and thinks he's important", Jane said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, he is", Wylie nodded. "At least he's rich and I guess he's important in the Chacal Cartel."

"Who is he?" Teresa finally spoke up.

"He is Juan Belen's nephew, the son of his younger sister. She was killed when a bomb went off in her car. It killed her, her husband and youngest daughter. The son was playing at a friend's house at the time. He was eight years old."

"Let me guess", Jane said, standing up straight. "Dear Uncle Juan took him in and raised him like his own son."

"Yup", Wylie nodded. "But not exactly like his own son", he said.

The others looked at him curiously and he gave an embarrassed little shrug. "He doesn't have any sons. He has three daughters, all of whom are married. His wife is still alive, although she stays mostly at their house in Cancun."

"Is Raul being groomed to take over the Cartel?" Cho asked.

"That's the rumor", Wylie said, "although there are a number of people who believe that Manuel Tosell should be next in line. He's -"

"- Juan Belen's son-in-law", Jane guessed.

"Right." Wylie looked at him in surprise. "He's been married to Trini Belen, Juan's oldest daughter, for almost twenty years. He's done a lot of the day-to-day business for his father-in-law and that's why many look to him as Belen's natural successor, especially since Raul is known to be a playboy and has been in and out of trouble a number of times."

"Excellent!" Jane murmured. He suddenly noticed something on the computer screen and leaned forward once more. "Do we know who he's speaking with?" In the picture there was someone standing slightly to the right of Raul. His head was turned to look at the man against the car so that his profile was to the camera although the picture was grainy so it was hard to tell who it was."

"Oh yeah", Wylie grinned again. He leaned over the computer and did something to enhance the picture. "It's Edward Johnson."

Everyone stared at it for a few seconds, until Jane stood upright once more. "Good work Wylie", he said softly. "Now here's what I want you to do."

Jane retreated to his couch after explaining what he needed, and lay down, his arm resting over his eyes.

Teresa slowly followed him but stopped at her desk, while continuing to keep her eyes on Jane. She sat and watched him for a few minutes, not quite sure what to do. Their relationship had changed, although they hadn't really talked about how they were going to proceed. Hell, they'd barely started a relationship and hadn't had time to focus on what was next. She wished they'd had some time to figure this out before being thrown into another case.

"Just relax", he said suddenly. "No one knows."

"Knows what?" she asked, feeling slightly irritated.

He lowered his arm and looked at her. Realizing that she was tense he slowly sat up. "No one knows anything Teresa", he said quietly. "As far as they're concerned nothing has changed."

"Okay", she nodded, glancing around. Jane was right. Everyone was going about their normal tasks and no one was looking at them suspiciously. She just felt like she had this great big stamp on her forehead that said she'd kissed Jane, that she loved Jane. God – she loved Jane. The world had gone insane.

"But if you want I can get up and make an announcement", he told her with tilted head and a twinkle in his eye.

She looked at him with panic written all over her face. "NO! I mean – no – not right now. It's not that I'd mind but -" It was at that point she could see that Jane was hiding a smile and she glared at him. "Not funny Jane."

"Well yes, actually it was." Jane regarded her searchingly, trying to see into her mind. And since it was Jane, he'd probably succeed, she thought with a flash of irritation.

"I'm not going to do anything to make you uncomfortable", he told her plainly.

She laughed. "Jane, you've been making me uncomfortable since the day you walked into the CBI so I doubt that will change."

"But I haven't made you uncomfortable about – us have I?" he asked seriously, sounding vaguely apprehensive about her answer.

"No", she answered gently. "Not about us." She wanted to smile when she saw his face relax. "Usually it was because you'd insulted some VIP or another law enforcement officer and I knew I was going to have to clean up the mess you'd created."

Jane grinned. "But those were fun times."

"Right!" she rolled her eyes. "Look – let's – talk about this later, okay." She wasn't comfortable dealing with her personal life while at work.

"Okay." Jane grew serious once more and actually sat up on his couch. "Look, I meant what I said, I'm not going to do anything to make you regret this. We'll go at your pace and I won't say anything until you tell me to." He kept his eyes on hers, trying to show her, with every fiber of his being, that she could trust him. "I know this is hard Teresa and uncomfortable for you –"

"I'm not uncomfortable", she interrupted him, looking pale. "It's just – new and I'm not quite sure how to handle everything. I mean, we went from friends to – to -" she floundered, not even sure what to call it yet.

"I know and look, if it makes you feel any better, I'm not quite sure either. This is as new for me as for you – probably more so", he sighed, sounding slightly sad.

She frowned. "Why more so?"

He took a deep breath and then decided to be totally honest. "At least you've had a relationship recently. I mean, you and Pike were getting pretty serious. I haven't had one since my wife so – if I'm a little awkward, you'll understand."

She instantly melted inside and wanted to hug him. It was rare for Jane to show any vulnerability and for some strange reason, whenever he did it made her want to reach out and make things better. She recognized clearly that it was the protector in her. It was the young woman who had practically raised three younger brothers, who had become a cop to protect and look after the weak and vulnerable. It was a central part of who she was, and she knew it was one of the reasons she'd accepted Jane as part of her life right from the beginning.

Without thinking about it she moved the few steps to his couch and sat down beside him. He looked at her in surprise – hell, she was the one who said they should talk about it later – and for once she realized she had surprised him.

"Thank you for being so honest", she told him gently. "We'll just have to muddle through together."

He smiled and looked like he wanted to reach out to her, but smart man that he was all he did was turn to her slightly. "Together. It's a deal."

She gave him a smile in return and then got up and returned to her desk. With another sigh she sat down. "I miss Lily", she said suddenly. She glanced down at the picture of the little girl that now sat on her desk.

For the second time in a few minutes he looked at her in surprise, but that soon turned to pleasure. "I know. She makes me want to be a stay-at-home Dad", he confessed.

"So you're Dad now, are you?" she asked carefully, tilting her head. She hoped he was okay with her asking that question.

"Yeah", he nodded. "It's getting easier", he confessed and she knew exactly what he wasn't saying, but was proud of him for jumping in even though she knew he was terrified.

"Well then, let's get this case finished and get Johnson out of our lives do you can go be the best Daddy there is!"